HR 1273119th CongressIn Committee

Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act

Introduced: Feb 12, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would direct the U.S. Secretary of State, through the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues or a designee, to create a national registry of Korean American families separated from relatives in North Korea since the 1953 Korean War Armistice. The registry would collect information to plan and host future reunions (in-person or video) and maintain a private internal repository of data about these families and North Korean relatives, including deceased individuals. The act also requires actions to advance direct U.S.–North Korea dialogue focused on reunions, with consultations with South Korea, and mandates annual congressional reports for five years on registry status, reunion progress, and North Korea’s responses and policies affecting the emigration of family members. In short, the bill aims to institutionalize a process and database to facilitate future Korean American–North Korean family reunions and to promote ongoing dialogue with North Korea, while subjecting these efforts to regular congressional reporting.

Key Points

1Establishment of a national registry of Korean American divided families, managed by the Secretary of State via the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues (or a designee).
2Data collection and private internal registry: names and other relevant information to organize future reunions (in the U.S., South Korea, or third countries) and to maintain a private repository of information about families and North Korean relatives, including those who may be deceased.
3Facilitation of U.S.–North Korea dialogue: the Secretary must take necessary actions to ensure direct dialogue with North Korea includes progress toward holding reunions, with consultations with South Korea.
4Reporting requirement: annual reports to the appropriate congressional committees for five years detailing registry status, number of individuals who have met or not met their North Korean relatives, a summary of North Korea’s responses to reunion requests, and descriptions of North Korea’s regulations and actions related to emigration of Korean American family members.
5Defined oversight: “appropriate congressional committees” are the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Korean American families seeking reunions with relatives in North Korea; U.S. State Department and its diplomacy toward North Korea; ongoing human rights engagement.Secondary group/area affected:- North Korea (through engagement and data sharing tied to reunions); the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) due to required consultations.Additional impacts:- Privacy and data security implications of creating a private internal registry and a North Korea–bound information repository, including sensitive personal information.- Practical feasibility and political risk of arranging reunions with North Korea, given the country’s strict restrictions and the potential for changing diplomatic dynamics.- Budget and resource considerations for the State Department to administer the registry, coordinate dialogues, and compile annual reports (no funding details are provided in the text).- Congressional oversight and accountability through annual reporting for five years.

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